Recent reviews by yeen

There are some serious performance issues with this game, but these will certainly be fixed pretty quickly. What I do want to highlight out of this game:

It is a SERIOUS step up in several areas from its predecessor. Graphically, it looks fantastic - the zoom levels and detail levels are really improved and while it still isn't the best looking game, it's to the point where it's enjoyable to pause building and just look at your city. Let's also talk about the fact that this game is a technical achievement. There are several key things as to why this is the case:

1. Traffic management: this was touted from the reveal as one of the biggest improvements over CS1 and it really shows here. This game has the most realistic traffic & pedestrian simulation of any publicly released game ever. I don't believe there is a single city-building game out there that allows you to even build realistic on-ramps and off-ramps with merging lanes, but you can do it here. You needed pretty extensive modding to get to this level of realism in CS1. Plus, with the addition of accidents, it can even do more than what the modders could do in some areas.

Primary thing I'd like to see improved is some of the graphical glitches that can occur when merging roads, as well as allowing us to make bigger (6, 7, 8 lane) highways to really help with those larger on-ramps. Also, some variation in road textures would be cool too, and maybe simulation of construction / resurfacing roads.

2. Mixed-use zoning: again, I don't think there are any serious city-builders out there that allow this. RCA has always been independent but allowing the R and C to be mixed is very realistic in a lot of cities.

3. Power management: This could be improved further but having to switch voltages for long-distance transmissions and having oversaturation of electrical networks is NOT something you see in other games. Kudos for this as well.

Aside from the performance limitations, which'll certainly get fixed soon after release as this is classically a Paradox release, this game has an extremely strong foundation and is fun to play even now. I look forward to seeing how further updates improve and expand on this.

Stellaris player since the game was released, and long-time PDX game player.

There are plenty of reviews complaining about the recent patch, 2.2 "Le Guin" alongside the Megacorp expansion. Anyone looking to purchase the game needs to ask one question before buying it: are Paradox games for me?

Paradox games are a genre of their own. The people complaining do not like added complexity because they're more casual players, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, those of you who are looking to try out a more complex game or are used to the "spreadsheet" mechanics of Victoria 2 and EU4 will find this expansion to be quite the welcome change.

This patch is NOT being universally panned. The criticism comes from players who did not expect this game to turn out like ALL the other games Paradox have made. They are upset because they are unwise with their money and spent it on a game that, if researched, would knowingly turn into this eventually.

Well..

Sure, the game is pretty fun. I enjoy the controls, the smoothness of the movement, and the level design + randomness. I like the enemies, I like the gun action, and I even enjoy the difficulty. So why is my review negative?

If you look at all the other reviews, you can see that nearly all of the reviewers have played for 1-6 hours. On a game that is currently on sale for 13 dollars.

I don't believe that the good parts of this game make up for the fact that you are paying 13 dollars for a game that is only enjoyable to nearly all the players for that short amount of a time. Now, if you get this game when it is on sale, or is part of the humble bundle, then sure, I'd say go ahead and get this game. It'll be an enjoyable little game that you will have fun with for a little bit, but you will inevitably place it on the shelves to be forgotten for months and months.

Not recommended due to pricing =/= content.

In the couple days that I have owned this game, here is what I've determined.

On a ten point scale:

Gameplay: 10
Graphics: 8
Reliability: 9
Replay value: 10
Multiplayer: 10
Length: 10

Overall: 10

I don't even choose to factor in the graphics or how reliable the game is, because in the whole picture, it really doesn't matter. The gameplay is fun, there's action literally everywhere you go. The battles are intense, and not too long but not too short. It is difficult for your first time. You might get frustrated and quit. Yet, there's this unknown lure bringing you right back to get destroyed once again. In addition to this, the game has great mods. Tons of them, too. A lot of them actually make the gameplay better.

The graphics are slightly outdated, but the game is still playable. This isn't even an issue, as I think they might've done it on purpose to increase the amount of people who can play it. Whatever the case may be, the graphics really don't matter enough here for people to turn away from the game.

Reliability loses a point because multiple people have reported crashing when you alt-tab. Switching out of the game and back in safely is important to quite a few people, so I think this is something that should be addressed by the developers. Besides that, I haven't actually crashed or encountered any bugs at all yet, so again, I didn't factor this one in either.

The game has an excellent replay value. There is about a million different ways to play the game. I'm not kidding, either. It would be too much for me to explain here. See for yourself! There are also, as mentioned above, many mods to pick and choose from, increasing this value even more.

Multiplayer. I haven't actually played it yet, but I have quite a few friends who play this that have reported that it is amazing. I can only assume it receives a 10 as well.

For the length of the game, it can really go for as short as you'd like, to as long as you want. Start out a serf, fight a couple battles, then retire? Go ahead. Want to play a 1,000 hour marathon of the game where you slowly conquer the entire land? Probably possible, maybe with the help of mods. I don't know if the game would even still be stable beyond that point, or perhaps there would be nothing left to conquer, but really I shouldn't be expecting more than this.

But yeah, if you fancy an actual medieval simulator, or perhaps a really fun game, get this one. It is worth it.